AI-Assisted Exploration Identifies Copper Targets

Botswana Minerals PLC

21 May 2026

 

21^st May 2026

Botswana Minerals plc

("Botswana Minerals" or the "Company")

AI-Assisted Exploration Analysis Identifies Copper Targets in Botswana

Highlights

-     36 copper anomalies identified by AI-assisted analysis across two of the Company's eight licences in Botswana

-     Six exploration "corridors"

-     Widespread carbonate host rocks and other features across the licences, key in many of the world's copper mines

-     On the ground field exploration is being planned to rank the anomalies for next-stage drilling of the top targets

-     Field work to begin within three months 

-     The AI evaluation is being extended to the other six licences on the block

Botswana Minerals plc, the AIM- and Botswana Stock Exchange-listed copper and diamond exploration company, announces that an AI-assisted exploration study across two of its eight northern Botswana licences has identified 36 copper anomalies grouped within six exploration "corridors" (geological trends containing clusters of anomalies).

The licences lie within an under-explored geological corridor linking Namibia's Damara Belt with the Central African Copperbelt of Zambia and the DRC: two of Africa's most important copper regions. The anomalies identified share the geological characteristics of several major operating and historical deposits and fieldwork to identify the top targets for drilling will commence shortly. The ongoing work is evaluating the remaining six licences.

John Teeling, Chairman of Botswana Minerals, commented:

"There is no doubt that AI techniques are revolutionising identification of mineral targets. The ongoing analysis of our huge database continues to provide outstanding results.

"The work complete to date, covering two of our eight licences in northern Botswana, has identified 36 copper anomalies.

"The analysis uses data from copper mines around the world to identify areas with similar geological characteristics, with the next step to rank these anomalies to better focus future fieldwork and any subsequent drilling decisions. This involves deeper AI analysis to support targeted field work."

Next steps

Botswana Minerals will proceed by undertaking the following workstreams:

•    Initial field work expected to begin within three months;

•    Apply the same AI-assisted methodology across its six remaining northern Botswana licences;

•    Refine and rank the 36 target areas identified to date;

•    Plan field programmes across the highest-priority corridors; and

•    Prepare the next phase of exploration work based on the integrated target inventory.

Further announcements will be made in due course.

Background Information

Strategic context

The Company's eight licences lie along the geological corridor linking Namibia's Damara Belt with the Lufilian Arc of the Central African Copperbelt in Zambia and the DRC, via northern Botswana. Geological evidence supports a single, continuous belt formed during the Pan-African collision of the Congo and Kalahari Cratons: the ancient tectonic plates of central and southern Africa, and this belt hosts the world's largest sediment-hosted copper province.

The Company's northern licences sit on the southern edge of the Congo Craton, in the same geological setting and carbonate host rocks that host the Tsumeb polymetallic mine and the Kaoko Copper Belt of northern Namibia. Despite this favourable geology, the area has historically seen limited modern exploration and is therefore considered by the Company to be highly prospective.

Figure 1: [Location of the Company's northern Botswana licences and interpreted exploration corridors]

Data integration

The assessment was completed using Planetary AI's Xplore platform, which combines machine-learning techniques with expert geological reasoning to identify prospective ground from very large, multi-disciplinary datasets. The work integrated:

•    geological mapping and rock-type boundaries;

•    structural data and interpreted fault patterns;

•    magnetic and gravity geophysical data;

•    multi-element geochemistry; and

•    remote-sensing data.

These datasets were interpreted together to identify major structures, potential pathways for mineralised fluids, alteration zones and favourable rock units, and to produce a ranked inventory of exploration target areas.

Outputs were reviewed and validated by experienced geologists throughout and tested against multiple deposit models to ensure that the targets identified are supported by multiple lines of evidence rather than relying on isolated anomalies.

Preliminary results

The work has identified 36 priority targets across the two northern licences, grouped into six corridors, each with characteristics consistent with a different style of mineralisation. Key features include:

•    geochemical and geophysical anomalies aligned with major faults that can act as pathways for ore-bearing fluids;

•    widespread favourable carbonate host rocks across the licences, suitable for both sediment-hosted and structurally controlled copper and base-metal mineralisation;

•    evidence of hydrothermal copper systems, including possible IOCG-style mineralisation; and

•    magnetic features and alteration in several corridors, consistent with mineralisation across a wider mineral district.

Geological analogues

The targets share a similar geological setting to several major operating and historic deposits that will be familiar to investors:

•    Tara, Navan, Ireland (Boliden): carbonate-hosted lead-zinc (Irish-type / MVT); one of Europe's largest zinc mines.

•    Kamoa-Kakula, DRC (Ivanhoe Mines, TSX: IVN): a giant sediment-hosted copper deposit of the Central African Copperbelt.

•    Tsumeb, northern Namibia: historic copper-lead-zinc-silver mine; one of the world's premier carbonate-hosted polymetallic deposits.

•   Olympic Dam, South Australia (BHP): a globally significant IOCG deposit; among the largest copper deposits in the world.

These references are provided for geological context only, to illustrate the deposit styles being targeted; no inference is drawn or implied as to the scale of any mineralisation that may be present on the Company's licences.

Enquiries

Botswana Minerals PLC
John Teeling, Chairman	[phone]
James Campbell, Managing Director	[phone]
Jim Finn, Director	[phone]

Nominated & Financial Adviser Strand Hanson Limited	[phone]
Ritchie Balmer
Rory Murphy
Edward Foulkes

Joint Broker First Equity Limited	[phone]
Jason Robertson

Joint Broker VSA Capital Limited	[phone]
Andrew Monk
Andrew Raca

Public Relations BlytheRay	[phone]
Megan Ray
Said Izagaren

Teneo	[phone]
Luke Hogg
Ciara McNamee
Molly Mooney

Competent Person Statement

This release has been approved by James Campbell, Managing Director of Botswana Minerals plc, a qualified geologist (Pr.Sci.Nat), a Fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa, a Fellow of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Metals and Mining (UK) and with over 40 years' experience in the diamond sector, specifically focusing on exploration, resource assessment and mining.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended.

 

END